Vitamin D Could Save Your Life!

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NOTE: AFFTER does not endorse or promote any treatment, protocol or point of

view. This is being posted for informational purposes only.

Source: Co-Cure

Reprinted with permission from my book " From

Fatigued to Fantastic! " (Penguin / Avery Oct 2007).

http://www.endfatigue-dev.com/health_articles_t-z/Vitamin_d-could_save_your_

life.html

Vitamin D Could Save Your Life!

Reprinted with permission from my book " From

Fatigued to Fantastic! " (Penguin / Avery Oct 2007).

Summary

Vitamin D deficiency is becoming alarmingly common

since the misguided medical advice to avoid

sunshine (which makes over 90% of our Vitamin D).

Vitamin D is not only a vitamin, but also an

important hormone, with deficiencies causing

widespread problems. In fact, Vitamin D deficiency in

the US alone:

1. Is estimated to cause severe immune dysfunction,

causing 85,000 extra cancer deaths a year.

2. Increases osteoporosis.

3. Increases pain in chronic pain conditions.

4. Not only increases osteoporosis, but also the risk

of falling .

5. Significantly increases the risk of Multiple

Sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel

disease and diabetes.

In addition to the above, treatment with Vitamin D

can also improve lung function and help people with

asthma, while also decreasing the risk of heart

disease, hypertension and stroke.

Because Vitamin D is stored in the fatty tissue (fat

soluble) instead of being washed out in the urine

(water soluble), it is possible to overdose if you get

too much. This unnecessarily scares people away

from getting the optimal dose, as even 10 times our

current RDA ( " Ridiculously Low Allowance " ) of 400

IU/day for Vitamin D is safe (consult your physician if

you have an unusual condition resulting in high blood

or tissue calcium levels). For those with decreased

bone density (see Treating Osteoporosis Naturally), I

recommend 2000-4000 units a day. Otherwise,

1000-2000 units a day is optimal. Most importantly,

remember to go for walks and get your

sunshine-which is good for you. For optimal health,

AVOID SUNBURN-NOT SUNSHINE.

Vitamin D Deficiency is Very Common

The importance of Vitamin D deficiency is finally

gaining increasing attention. This nutrient deficiency

is critical, causing tens of thousands of unnecessary

deaths in the U.S. each year. Because of this, and

the deadly recommendation to avoid being out in the

sun without sunscreen that people are given, I am

going to cover the importance of this nutrient in

depth.

Vitamin D deficiency is common. In fact, a review in

the Mayo Clinic Journal showed that approximately

36 percent of healthy young adults and 57 percent of

general medicine inpatients in the United States

have inadequate levels of vitamin D.59 Vitamin D

deficiency is even more common in people with

chronic pain.

This problem has increased since skin cancer

awareness prompted many to forego sunshine. The

misguided advice from well-meaning doctors and

media outlets was given to decrease the number of

dangerous skin cancers called melanomas-a worthy

goal. However, 90 percent of our Vitamin D comes

from the sun, and the skin cancers usually caused by

sunshine (e.g., basal cell cancers) are usually quite

benign and easy to treat. In fact, most melanomas

are not in sun-exposed areas; they develop on skin

covered by clothing. It is likely that the increase in

melanomas is mostly occurring because of changes in

diet, environment and sleep, which are resulting in

weakened immune systems. A good rule to

remember is to avoid sunburn, not sunshine.

Many other cancers increase in the face of Vitamin D

deficiency and it is currently estimated that the

advice to avoid sunshine is resulting in as many as

85,550 unnecessary cancer deaths each year.60 To

give a few examples, increasing Vitamin D levels is

associated with:

1. A decrease in lymphomas and leukemia (malignant

white blood cell cancers).61-64

2. A 50% decrease in breast and colon cancer

risk.65-67

3. A lower prostate cancer risk.68

4. Lung cancer protection.69

5. A 30% drop in ovarian cancer.70

In addition to causing upwards of 85,000

unnecessary cancer deaths each year, Vitamin D,

deficiency also contributes to weak bones and

osteoporosis. Vitamin D is low in 98 percent of the

elderly who break their hip, a major cause of these

people losing mobility and therefore being in nursing

homes.71,72 And, vitamin D deficiency in pregnant

women actually increases the risk of her child

developing osteoporosis.73,74

Vitamin D deficiency is wreaking havoc in many other

ways as well. It is critical in regulating immune

function, and Vitamin D deficiency is implicated in

Multiple Sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis,75

inflammatory bowel disease76 and diabetes.77-81

Treatment with Vitamin D can also improve lung

function and help people with asthma,82-85 while

also decreasing the risk of heart disease86 and

stroke.87

This leaves the question of what level of

supplementation is optimal. I concur with Dr. Heike

A. Bischoff-Ferrari, from the Harvard School of Public

Health who notes " Recent evidence suggests that

Vitamin D intakes above current recommendations

may be associated with better health outcomes. An

intake for all adults of (at least) 1,000 IU of Vitamin

D/day is needed. " 88,89

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http://www.endfatigue-dev.com/health_articles_t-z/Vitamin_d-deficiency_commo

n_in_sunny_states.html

Vitamin D Deficiency is Even Common in Sunny

States`

Recent research showed that Vitamin D deficiency is

even common in my home state of Hawaii and even

my " adopted " home state of Texas. It is important to

get plenty of sunshine (not sunburn) and a good idea

to get Vitamin D in your multivitamin where ever you

live.

In this study of young women in southeast Texas,

where it is quite sunny, Vitamin D deficiency was

still common. Those with darker skin (e.g.,

African-Americans and Latinos) had the lowest

levels, as the skin pigment tends to block some of

the effect of the sunshine. Those who were

overweight also were at higher risk.

Prevalence of Inadequate Vitamin D Status Among

Young Women in Southeast Texas

Summary:

In a cross-sectional study involving 800 non-Hispanic

white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic women

between the ages of 16 and 33 years, living in

southeast Texas, insufficient Vitamin D status was

found to be extremely prevalent, particularly among

non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and persons who

were obese.

The lowest serum 25(OH)D levels were found among

non-Hispanic blacks (37.7 nmol/L). Slightly higher

levels were found among Hispanics (47.9 nmol/L),

and significantly higher levels were found among

non-Hispanic whites (71.8 nmol/L).

Levels of serum 25(OH)D were found to be

negatively associated with percent total body fat,

total body fat, and body mass index, suggesting that

lower levels of Vitamin D would be found among

overweight and obese persons.

Levels of serum 25(OH)D were positively associated

with dietary Vitamin D intake and, interestingly, pack

years of smoking.

During the summer, levels of serum 2 5(OH)D were

higher (55.4 nmol/L) than levels in the winter (48.1

nmol/L). The results of this study suggest that even

favorable environmental conditions " do not result in

sufficient vitamin D status for young women,

especially non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and the

obese. "

Reference:

" Association of race, body fat, and season with

vitamin D status among young women: A

cross-sectional study, " McKinney K, Breitkopf CR, et

al, Clin Endocrinol (Oxf), 2008 [Epub ahead of print].

(Address: Abbey B. Berenson, MD, Department of

Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas

Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard Galveston

TX 77550-0587, USA. E-mail: abberens@....)

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